The ABCD Study is a national longitudinal study that will assess the short- and long-term impact of substance use on brain development. The project will recruit 10,000 youths before they begin using alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and other drugs, and follow them over 10 years into early adulthood.

ABCD Study investigators will use advanced brain imaging as well as psychological and behavioral research tools to evaluate brain structure and function. The study will track substance use, academic achievement, IQ, cognitive skills and mental health over time.

Lawrence graduated from UCLA with a bachelor in psychology. There, he volunteered in multiple research laboratories involving children with autism, at risk youths, and adults with schizophrenia. He has then worked at the Greater Los Angeles Veteran Affairs Hospital as a research associate and conducted neuropsychological assessments to adults with mild cognitive

Study on substance use and adolescent brain development to look at 10,000 children at research institutions throughout the U.S.

As part of a landmark study about the effects of adolescent substance use on the developing brain called the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has been awarded a five-year grant

Many studies over the past few decades have found that poverty and its stresses inflict lasting damage on young children’s brains. In the largest study of its kind so far, researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Columbia University and other centers looked at more than 1,000 young brains and found a

This laboratory is committed to brain health and awareness in our community. We are compelled to reach out to children and young adults promoting discussion and inquiry on the meaning of the brain. Given the opportunity, our neuroscientists empower students with understanding of anatomy and functions of the brain, as well as with

LOS ANGELES (March 30, 2015) – Characterizing associations between socioeconomic factors and children’s brain development, a team including investigators from nine universities across the country reports correlative links between family income and brain structure. Relationships between the brain and family income were strongest in the lowest end of the economic range – suggesting that interventional